Berry-picker.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1908;

' P. H. EMLEY.

BERRY PIGKER. urzlmumn FILED mm; 22. 1905'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[unenfor- PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

P. H. BMLEY. BERRY PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22. 1905.

Mums-sum z.

PETER H. EMLEY, OF LAKEI-IURST, NEW JERSEY.

BERRY-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Application filed June 22, 1905. Serial No. 266,370.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER H. EMLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakehurst, in the county of Ocean and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Berry-Pickers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to berry pickers and comprises certain novel parts and combinations of parts which will be described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention in the forms which are at present preferred by me, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a picker embodymg my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a sectional side view on the line 33 Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a modification.

Similar letters of reference designate the same or corresponding parts in all the figures.

a, a, etc., are the teeth of the icker. These teeth are preferably inserted t rough openings 6, 1), etc., in the head 0 and are secured therein by any suitable means.

d, d, are the sides of the ocket e of the iclaer. They are suitably astened to the ea c.

I preferably make the parts above describedof wood but do not desire to limit mysielf thereto as other materials may be use In the operation of berryickers, the bushes or vines bearing a ainst t e teeth are bound to exert more or ess strain thereon and if such strain is borne by the forward part of the teeth, where they are the weakest, they are liable to become broken. By m invention I overcome this liability to breakage by making a slit f in the sides (1, d. This slit extends backwards almost the full length of the teeth to the head 0. It will thus be seen that the bushes or vines ma have a sweep backward nearly the full extent of the teeth and that the pressure or strain will be brought to bear upon the rear of the teeth where they are the strongest and less liable to be broken.

The back 9 of the ocket may be made of any suitable materia but preferably I employ galvanized iron for this purpose. It is fastened by any appropriate means to the sides d, d and also to the head a; the means for fastening to the head may be varied; as

shown in the drawings, Fig. 3, these means consist of inserting the edge of the back into a slot or groove it formed in the head. I prefer to secure the back to the head above the openings 6, 12, etc. so that a space is left whereby the teeth may be readily inserted or withdrawn from said openings. Braces i, i which are fastened to the head 0 and the sides (1, d, by fastening means j, j, extend upward and have secured thereto the handle is. Serving as a brace for the back 9 and also as a means of attachment for a handle Z I employ the strong wire m which I secure to the back and also to the head 0. This construction may be varied however, and the handle Z may be fastened to the back in any desired manner.

The top or covering 71. of the pocket is of any appropriate material, a heavy cloth or canvas being preferable. It is secured to the sides d, d by suitable means. At the rear it is fastened to the back 9, preferably by means of the threaded copper wire p. Employing copper wire for this purpose will tend to revent rust and wear upon the edge of the 0 0th or canvas. The covering is preferably provided with plenty of fullness and is secured in such a manner at the forward end of the pocket that a discharge opening 0 is left. A

ap or door 1* is provided at the entrance of the ocket. This flap or door may be made of 0 0th, leather or metal, as desired, and may be secured in any suitable manner so that it will permit the berries to enter the pocket but will prevent them from running out, acting, in other words, as a trap. In the drawings I have shown the covering n and the flap r as fastened together about the braces 01, i. It is conceivable, however, that other means for securing the covering and flap might be employed. Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the means shown.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 differs from that described only in the fact that a longer handle is employed. The handle Z extends from the rear of the picker where it is suitably secured. -As shown here, it is fastened to the wire m. At the forward end it is met by and secured to an extension '5 of the braces 11, i.

The operation of my device is as follows: The operator by means of the handle or handles carries the device so that the teeth contact with the vines or bushes and ick the berries therefrom. The berries will t en, by tilting the device, roll down into the pocket,

raising the flap or door 1", which, after the berries have entered the pocket, will drop back into place in such manner that the lower edge of the flap or door will rest upon the teeth and the berries will be prevented from leaving the pocket. When the operator desires to empty the pocket, he reverses the position of the device so that the berries within the pocket will fall u on the covering n and be discharged throug the opening 0.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Thecombination in a berry picker, of a frame consisting of a head with teeth attached thereto, a back, sides slotted to give entrance contiguous to the head, and a flexible cover secured to the sides and back and forming with said frame a pocket.

2. The combination in a berry picker, of a frame consisting of a head provided with teeth, a back and sides secured thereto, a flexible cover secured to the sides and back forming with said frame a pocket, and a flexible flap at the entrance to said pocket.

3. The combination in a berry picker, of a frame consisting of a head having teeth secured therein, a rigid back and sides also secured thereto, said sides being slit to give entrance to the teeth contiguous to the head, a cover forming with said frame a pocket, said cover having a discharge opening, and means giving ingress to said pocket and preventing egress therefrom.

- 4. The combination in a berry picker, of a receptacle consisting of a frame having a head with teeth secured therein, a back and sides secured thereto, said sides being slit to give vines entrance to the rear of said teeth contiguous to the head, a cover secured to the sides and back, a flap permitting ingress to said receptacle and preventing egress there from, said cover having a discharge opening,

and means for manipulating saidpicker.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER H. EMLEY.

Witnesses:

OLIVER D. EMLEY, FRANCIS J. MOOALLION. 

